Gridders, Huskies Ready For Dog Fight; Crimson Seeks to Take Away N.U. 'Bone

Today you can get a taste of big time college football--live--if you just close your eyes a little and imagine that the figures clad in red and black on the Stadium field are really done up in blood red and white.

Through the lense of imagination, Northeastern can dissolve into Oklahoma. Harvard can be playing the nation's number one team.

Although bearing little resemblance to the Sooners in either physique or finesse, the Huskies do run the same offense: the Wishbone. They may not be as fast or as strong or as big as the 'homa boys, but their attack is just as flashy and sophisticated.

The Wishbone alone should be enough to draw you to the Stadium this afternoon at 1:30 for the Harvard-Northeastern neighborhood brawl. Throw in Harvard's Multiflex, and you should have more than enough incentive to attend what promises to be a showdown of offensive styles.

Break a turkey's wishbone and you either wind up with the lucky end or the short end. Break a Northeastern Wishbone and you wind up with a victory.

For Northeastern, it's either 'bone or bust. The Huskies passing game suffers from disuse. In fact, in Northeastern's first two games this season--victories over Towson State, 39-22, and Connecticut, 20-12--quarterback Jim O'Leary threw a grand total of 13 times for 89 yards.

The Harvard secondary need not be leary of Northeastern's passing attack.

But the Huskie ground game could be deadly. Making the best of the 'bone, O'Leary ran for 192 yards in Northeastern's first two games. His big (6-ft., 195-lb.) fullback, Mike White, sprung for 142 yards. Tailback Ray Gee scampered for 131 and has averaged seven yards a carry.

Can Harvard hone in on the 'bone?

"It's really difficult to prepare for the Wishbone because you only see it once a season or so," Crimson defensive coordinator George Clemens said. "You kind of have to shift gears in order to prepare for it. Some teams that run out of an `I' [formation] have an option, and we're used to that. But what you have to do with a Wishbone is scrutinize and monitor the people you have to stop."

"Who do you look for?" Clemens continued. "Is it the quarterback? Is it the tailback? Is it the fullback who's going to get the 4-yard gain?"

Honest Eyes

All Harvard eyes will be first on White up the middle, then O'Leary and Gee around the ends.

"They're going to keep you honest with the fullback and honest with the pitch," Clemens concluded. "You have to cover all bases. But our kids are excellent when it comes to zeroing in on people."

The last time Harvard faced the Wishbone was against Army in 1984. The Cadets made no bones about their superiority, pounding the Crimson, 33-11. Bad news for Harvard: Northeastern's 'bone is an exact replica of Army's.

Harvard will be hampered in picking apart Northeastern's 'bone because of the uncertain status of defensive end and Captain Kevin Dulsky, who is suffering from a strained left knee.

On the other side, the Northeastern defense will have no easy task defending Harvard's Multiflex, which showed its potency last Saturday in the Crimson's 35-0 demolition of Columbia.

Poor Yardstick

Although Columbia should not be used as a yardstick for excellence--a good high school could probably give the Lions a game--Harvard's offense does appear to be significantly improved over the 1986 unit.

With last year's up-and-down season behind him, junior quarterback Tom Yohe has gained in confidence and competence. Against Columbia, he threw for 145 yards and two touchdowns. Yohe also ran the ball five times for 15 yards.

Unlike his Northeastern counterpart, Yohe has demonstrated he can run and pass.

Yohe also knows how to spread around the wealth of his passes. In the Columbia crush, seven Harvard players--including tight end Kent Lucas, who made four receptions for 77 yards--caught passes.

"They're a much improved team," Northeastern Coach Paul Pawlak said. "They've gotten bigger both offensively and defensively. And they have a seasoned quarterback, which means a great deal. I expect a very wide-open game with their Multiflex offense."

Harvard's ground attack also enjoyed a field day against Columbia. Dave Bunning led Harvard rushers with 80 yards in 11 carriers, but neither he nor his cohorts in the backfield have been truly tested.

The big Huskie frontline and a pair of testy linebackers, Darin Jordan (16 tackles in two games) and Bill Guidetti (15), should be test enough.

Although the two squads have not played each other since 1971, a 17-7 Harvard victory in Joe Restic's first as head coach, they are familiar preseason foes. In the eight years prior to this one, Harvard and Northeastern have squared off in preseason contests. Two years ago, Harvard won. Last year, Northeastern finished on top.

"It's not like we're strangers to each other," Pawlak said. "We're sort of off-field friends."

Friends who will have a 'bone-crushing encounter today.

THE NOTEBOOK: Harvard own a 2-0 advantage in the series. The Crimson bested the Huskies, 28-7, in 1970...Northeastern first tested its Wishbone in 1985 in a preseason match with the Crimson...Tight end Don Gajewski may return to action today after suffering a dislocated shoulder. Halfback Rufus Jones will remain on the sidelines with a stress fracture of the left tibia.